It all started with a low-grade fever upon wakening. It was 37.5/6 and we knew she couldn't go to school. We kept her home, and her fever hovered around 37.4/3 all day. That night, however, she woke up a few times and her temperature was at 38.4 in the morning and she had developed a phlegmy cough.
I also had a mild fever, so my husband took her to the doctors (which is so difficult when you have a fever by the way. It's a nightmare getting an appointment) and they tested her for hPMV, which is something that had been going around her daycare along with RSV. It came back positive, and we were prescribed the same medication she was on for covid. Actually, we still had some left.
I met them at the pharmacy, and she was really feverish but her personality was the same. So, I made her lunch when we got home and she ate about half of it. I put her down for her nap as usual and she had no problem getting to sleep.
After her nap, however, she didn't want her snack and her temperature went up to 38.7. She just wanted to lay around, and it seemed like her throat was hurting. She literally didn't move from the couch. At around 5pm, I took her temperature again and it rose to 39.4.
In America, I'm pretty sure we'd have given her baby Tylenol or an equivalent fever reducer. But Japan really discourages giving otc medicine to babies/toddlers. So we were given suppositories when she was younger as a last resort.
I felt like 39.4 was too high for her to tough it out. So, I made her dinner and we decided to give her a suppository before bed. She had absolutely no appetite for anything fancy and ate half a slice of white bread.
Fortunately, the fever reducer must have helped her sleep because she slept 12 hours straight without any wake-ups.
I decided to excuse myself from school the next day so I could take care of her and let my husband work. She was okay in the morning, but her fever went up to 40.2 by that evening. She also had trouble taking a nap and woke up after every sleep cycle.
The fever continued for another two days with her mood getting worst, so we finally took her to the pediatrician again. He was surprised that her fever lasted so long and suggested she might have another infection, so he prescribed some antibiotics and a nebulizer.
Fortunately, her fever didn't go over 38.5 so we didn't have to give her a fever reducer, but her nose ran like a faucet and her cough worsened. Her fever continued for the entire weekend, but it never went higher than 38.
It's been about five days, and we don't know when it'll end. So, I'll update when it officially passes.
Does anyone have any experience with Human metapneumovirus in toddlers? If, so, what was your experience? Share it in the comments below!
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